Page 30 of Now and Then

I suck in a breath, my mind pulling up the highlight reel of that trip instantaneously. “What about Colorado?”

“Well, there was that day you were like ‘someday someone’s going to find me, and my heart is going to grow three times its size.’” She raises her eyebrows in question.

“I remember. What does Colorado have to do with my new dating profile that I most definitely did not set up?” I sit back in my chair, holding my coffee against my chest with both hands.

“It got me thinking that we both say we want love, but neither of us actively tries to find it. What better way to do that than through a dating app focused on finding love?”

“Mommy.” Rowan takes a drink, a hot chocolate mustache on his upper lip. “I love you, and you didn’t have to find me.”

Navy’s body melts into her chair, and she smooths her hand over his cheek. “You’re right, my sweet boy.”

He smiles and turns back to his artwork.

“Please don’t be mad at me,” she says. “I thought it could be something we do together, you know? I needed a push and thought you could do with one too.”

I purse my lips. “What happened to your ‘the people who are meant to find you will’ bullsh—”

She gives me the evil eye, pointing to Rowan.

“Bullcrap,” I say. “And how in the world can we do this together? Am I supposed to chaperone all of your dates to make sure you don’t scare them away before they’ve had a chance to say hello?”

“Oh, shut up, I’m not that bad.” She shoves a handful of trail mix into her mouth.

“Yeah, you are,” James calls out, laughing from behind the coffee bar.

“You like working here, right, James?” Navy says.

“I sure do.” He puts his hands up in defeat. “Don’t mind me. I didn’t say a thing.” He makes a zipping motion across his lips and places more cinnamon rolls on a pan.

“He’s right, you know,” I tell Navy. “You’re a marshmallow inside and a cactus outside.”

“Maybe I’m ready to turn over a new leaf. Maybe I can show them I’m not as prickly as I appear?”

“You might be onto something.”

Just then a text message pings on my phone.

Hunter: We need to talk.

Me: About?

Hunter: A certain dating profile and the fact lots of guys think you’re available.

“Great!” I pin Navy with my eyes. “Now Hunter is texting me about the profile, and he’ll be all over me about it.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if that man grabbed you, threw you onto his bed, and—”

“Shut up!” I cover her mouth with my hands.

“Sutton,” she mumbles against my palms. “It’s time you gave me the details of all that.”

Greer walks up to our table. “All what?”

I startle, pulling my hand from Navy’s mouth. “Good god, Greer, where did you come from?”

She laughs and pulls out a chair. “The front door like a normal person.”

“I swear,” I mutter. “They must have a course on ninja skills in teacher college.”